"I didn't expect one of Team Epitaph's leaders to show up here in person," Ren remarked, his voice betraying a hint of surprise.
His Gallade wasted no time. With a sharp cry, it unleashed a Psycho Cut toward Alvion, psychic energy coalescing into razor-sharp blades that tore through the air. But Gallade wasn't finished—it immediately followed up with a Sacred Sword, its arm materializing into a blade of pure fighting energy as it lunged forward.
Yet Alvion remained calm. With deliberate slowness, he pressed the release button on his Dusk Ball. From within the sphere erupted a blinding flash of light, and a massive, terrifying form materialized before him.
**"Aaaaaargh!"**
The roar echoed through the ruined museum hall. The Hydreigon Redux that emerged was a three-headed dragon with scales of deep blue and pristine white, accented by striking gold-orange markings. Its main head was large and commanding, flanked by two smaller heads that snapped and snarled. Massive blue wings, resembling those of a majestic bird, unfurled from its back, casting an enormous shadow over the battlefield.
Then, without warning, a brilliant multicolored light exploded from its body. The energy crystallized into shimmering, kaleidoscopic patterns that burst outward in all directions—a Dazzling Gleam of devastating power.
Ren's eyes widened. "Gallade, get back!" he shouted, already reaching for the recall function on his Poké Ball.
Gallade quickly consumed the Roseli Berry Ren had prepared—a precaution against Fairy-type attacks. But even with the berry's protection, the Dazzling Gleam struck with incredible force. Gallade let out a pained cry as the multicolored energy engulfed it, and moments later, it collapsed, fainted.
Xian's Zoroark, caught in the peripheral blast, also went down instantly. Metagross, however, managed to raise a Protect barrier just in time, shielding itself and Xian from the brunt of the attack.
*"That was Dazzling Gleam,"* Ren thought, his mind racing. *"Gallade shouldn't have fainted even with the Roseli Berry. This Hydreigon Redux's power is far beyond what I expected..."*
He noticed the faint, shimmering aura coating the floor—Misty Terrain. *"So its typing must be Dragon/Fairy. I didn't expect him to use a Pokémon like this,"* Xian thought, his expression grim.
He recalled Zoroark and commanded, "Metagross—Meteor Mash!"
Metagross launched itself at Hydreigon Redux, its body glowing with a metallic blue aura. But Hydreigon was faster. All three heads turned simultaneously, and from each maw erupted a torrent of searing flame—a Flamethrower that converged on Metagross from three directions. The fire engulfed the steel-type completely, and despite its resistance, the intensity was overwhelming. Metagross crashed to the ground, unable to continue.
Xian recalled Metagross with a heavy heart. "You fought bravely," he murmured.
Alvion's voice cut through the silence. "Hand over the painting, and I'll let you leave unharmed."
Xian allowed himself a faint smile. "As an Esper, you should know I won't surrender it that easily."
"Then I'll take it by force," Alvion replied, his hand tightening around his Dusk Ball.
---
Meanwhile, Vera's mind was racing. Her hands trembled as she searched for her Inventory Box—but it was gone. *"How could it have been taken?"*
Her eyes drifted toward the center of the museum, where the Nexus Sapphire had been displayed—but the pedestal was now empty.
*"Wait... if the Nexus Sapphire is also gone, then there's only one possibility,"* she realized. *"The Shadow Realm."*
---
Deep within the Shadow Realm, Zayn, Eon, and Walt stood together. The realm around them was a strange, shifting landscape of muted colors and distorted reflections.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Walt said, still stunned. "You really managed to steal that girl's Inventory Box."
"It wasn't that difficult," Eon replied with a confident smirk. "She was distracted by the battle."
Walt turned to Zayn, who was holding the Nexus Sapphire casually. Gible Redux sat on his shoulder, while Joltik rested on his head.
"And *you*!" Walt exclaimed. "How are you just holding a Relic-class artifact like it's nothing?!"
"Relax. It's not that hard—you're just overcomplicating things," Eon said.
"He's right," Zayn added. "It really wasn't that difficult."
Walt sighed. "Now we just need to hold onto these until everything settles down. Phase one is complete," Eon said, turning to Zayn. "You can use the save now."
Zayn pulled out his Rotomdex and navigated to the save menu:
---
==================================================
MAIN MENU
==================================================
[ ] POKÉDEX [ ] POKÉMON
[ ] BAG / ITEMS [ ] TRAINER CARD
[ ] DEXNAV [ ] MAP / TOWN MAP
[ ] SAVE GAME [ ] OPTIONS & SETTINGS
==================================================
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SAVE DATA │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ TRAINER : Zayn │
│ ID NO. : 39201 │
│ BADGES : ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ (0/8) │
│ │
│ POKÉDEX : 2 Caught / 15 Seen │
│ LOCATION : Ariestal City │
│ STORY : Ariestal City - "Play The Game" │
│ │
│ PLAY TIME : 37:50:00 │
│ MONEY : ₱ 65,500 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [ Would you like to save the game? ] │
│ ▶ [ YES ] [ NO ] │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
---
"Done," Zayn said.
"Alright, now we need to extract the *Bad Night* painting from this Inventory Box," Eon said, holding up Vera's device.
"Why do we need to take it out?" Zayn asked, confused.
"Think about it," Walt interjected. "If the painting stays in *her* Inventory Box, and she somehow gets it back, then all our efforts will have been for nothing. We need to move it somewhere safer."
"That makes sense... but how? None of us have Vera's authorization," Zayn pointed out.
Eon glanced at the Nexus Sapphire. "Your father can use it to manipulate information. Surely he taught you?"
Zayn's expression turned sheepish. "Honestly? He never taught me anything. Not even the basics."
Walt raised an eyebrow. "But your abilities are both information-based—Game Logic and Code Logic. There has to be some overlap."
"He just gave me the game and told me to figure it out," Zayn admitted.
Walt and Eon exchanged an exasperated glance. "Seriously? You're the professor's son, and he never taught you anything?" Walt exclaimed.
"I've only been to his lab a few times. He just pointed me toward the archives and told me to read," Zayn replied.
"Of course he did," Walt muttered. "Alright, try using the Nexus Sapphire yourself."
Zayn stared at the artifact for a long moment. "How do I even activate this thing?" he asked, frustrated.
"Wait—you don't know how to activate it?" Eon asked, incredulous.
"I've only ever seen my father hold it. It would just light up for him. But this one won't respond to me at all," Zayn replied.
"Let me try," Walt offered.
"Are you sure?" Zayn asked.
"Trust me. Data and information aren't that different at the core," Walt said confidently.
Zayn tossed the Nexus Sapphire to Walt. The moment Walt caught it, the artifact flared to life. Walt froze as an overwhelming torrent of information flooded his consciousness—numbers, letters, and symbols swirled before his vision.
He turned toward Eon, and the world around Eon seemed to open up. Walt could see everything—his entire profile laid bare:
---
**Name:** Eon
**Age:** 21
**Affiliation:** Navigation Division / Magnezone Division
**Pokémon Team:**
1. Magnezone — *Volt Switch, Flash Cannon, Hidden Power (Water), Thunderbolt, Discharge, Protect*
2. Magnetric — *(Data continuing...)*
3. Raichu — *(Data continuing...)*
4. Rotom (Wash) — *(Data continuing...)*
5. Rotom (Mow) — *(Data continuing...)*
6. Rotom (Heat) — *(Data continuing...)*
**Ability:** Eon / Electric Logic
**Techniques:**
- Zapdos Ritual
- Electrical Magic
- Thunder
- ... *(List continues)*
---
*"Wait... he's in the Navigation Division? I always assumed he was from the Artifact Security Division,"* Walt thought, surprised.
"So you're from the Navigation Division after all," Walt said aloud. "I always thought you handled artifact security."
"How did you know that?" Eon asked, caught off guard.
"I just saw it," Walt replied simply.
"Hold on—how did it activate so easily for you?" Zayn complained. "I've been trying for years!"
Walt looked back at the Nexus Sapphire, but this time he saw nothing unusual. "Relics really are unpredictable," he mused.
He turned his attention to Vera's Inventory Box. Eon tossed it to him, and Walt caught it. The moment he touched it, the device began to unravel—its digital structure dissolving into streams of pure information. He reached into the data stream and extracted the *Bad Night* painting.
Eon and Zayn watched in stunned silence.
"Here," Walt said, tossing the painting to Eon. "Stash it somewhere safe."
Eon caught it and stored it in his own Inventory Box. Walt then carefully reconstructed Vera's Inventory Box, restoring it to its original state.
"So this is the power of a Relic," Walt murmured, holding the reconstructed device. "It's truly terrifying."